However, our most
incredible diving experience was the night dive that we took off the
back of Askari. We were overcome by excitement the minute we
dropped into the water. As we assembled our dive gear and floated cautiously
in the pitch-black water, we felt like corks bobbing helplesly in a
giant inkpot. A small flashlight provided our only source of light,
and it quickly became our only means of comfort. Descending into pure
darkness was a little frightening, but the diverse nightlife made our
fears vanish as we kicked our way along the reef, watching nocturnal
creatures hunt for prey. Overjoyed with our first night dive, we eagerly
awaited an opportunity to embark on another moonlight adventure at the
Salt Pier.

The Salt Pier is connected
to a huge piece of property used for manufacturing salt. Large machines
pump water from the ocean into a manmade pond, where the water sits
until a good amount of its contents evaporate. Once a large portion
of the water evaporates, the remains are pumped into another pond for
further evaporation. Once the separation process is complete, the salt
is scooped up by huge bulldozers and made into massive piles of salt,
which are later loaded onto carts. The carts are then transported across
the pier and loaded onto ships, which distribute the salt to various
parts of the world. Although the process seems quite simple, it is disturbing
to think that slaves once performed these difficult tasks by hand in
the scorching heat, solely finding shelter in tiny slave houses near
the Salt Ponds. Fortunately, the only residents in the area today are
the wild flamingoes that drink the highly salted water and feed on the
small shrimp in the ponds.

The Salt Ponds and
Salt Pier, interesting and spectacular by day, display an even more
intriguing tale at night. We dove under the pier one evening and were
instantly captivated by the vast amount of sea life under this giant
platform. The coral formations and humongous sponges living upon the
massive pillars appeared to support this enormous structure. Although
we were not as fortunate to see a large variety of different fish at
this dive site, we did observe an eagle ray flidign effortlessly on
its chosen path. All in all, this dive was definitely unique and beautiful.

Aside from our spectacular
diving adventures, we also had the opportunity to visit Jibe City, Bonaire’s
most famous windsurfing lagoon, where we learned how to surf. We drove
two beat-up Jeeps across the island to an area called Sorobon Beach,
where we met Peter, our windsurfing instructor for the day. We first
practiced on a “simulator,” a surfboard and sail sitting on
the beach, and mastered the basic skills before venturing out into the
shallow, smooth, clear lagoon. Once in the water, we practiced balancing
on our boards before pulling up the sail. After many falls and failed
attempts, we were eventually all successful in saling wherever the wind
took us. Even though my final destination usually ended up being in
the middle of the shallow, grassy beds, I did learn how to surf. With
all that training behind me, I’m a regular windsurfer now.